ggp

11 minutes ago, KB21 said:

Best prospect in the draft by far!

20 points on only 9 shots.  There is no way he drops to Atlanta.  

It could very easily go:  1 - Ayton, 2 - Bagley

Leaving the Hawks with the choice between Doncic, JJJ, Bamba or Young.  

Who should the Hawks draft at #3?   

There has been a lot of back and forth about who is the most well-rounded, the most athletic, the longest and the best schematic fit.  To me, a complete outsider and casual fan, it comes down to one question:

Which one of these prospects has the mental make up to survive and thrive the next three seasons?

In other words, which one of these kids will take the losses day after day and still be loyal to the team, work incessantly on improving himself and finally, recruit free agents, when the time is right?  

Let's not draft another Dennis Schröder.  

I am a casual fan, but all this talk of trading for the #4 is exciting, so I wanted to give my 2 cents worth.  

Memphis made a huge mistake gambling on Parsons.  There can not be many teams willing to take his contract.  The Hawks might be the only ones in the league.  So, why are so many posts suggesting that we should give away our top two prized youngsters?

Individually, Prince and Collins are worth more than the #4 pick.  Why?  Because you know what you are getting with both rising stars.  No matter what anyone thinks, Bagley, Bamba, Porter, Young, and JJJ are question marks.  No one knows how they will handle the rigors of the NBA.  No one really knows how those prospects will handle the mental game.  

Both Prince and Collins have handled the NBA very well and by all projections, they are both on the rise.  They are sure things.    

If we trade for #4, it should be a straight salary dump for Memphis with, at most, a late first round pick to appease Memphis fans so that they don't burn down the city on draft night.

Hawks get:  #4, Parsons

Gizzlies get:  #30, salary dump 

Parsons should sit out 2018-19, the Hawks swallow his ridiculous salary.  Parsons attempts a come back for 2019.  The Hawks are rid of his contract in 2020.....just in time to take care of Collins and Prince.  

The draft could go down like this:  Ayton, Bagley, Bamba/JJJ, Doncic

We should draft Doncic after either Bamba or JJJ because Luca has the most trade value.  If a team presents an irresistible offer, great.  If not, we take Doncic and have the makings of a very good young team.  

Just now, KB21 said:

Oh, I'm not having any pain.  It's more of a jelly legged feeling.

My misunderstanding.  Sux   can cause post-op muscle aches, but really does not cause weakness like you are describing.  

Just now, KB21 said:

Yeah.  I definitely have not gotten my legs back under me yet.  I feel like my hips don't want to work at times.  

If your pain does not get better or if your urine turns dark, see a doctor to rule out some other cause of your pain.  

For all you know, you could be coming down with the flu, or perhaps another medication reaction.   

9 hours ago, KB21 said:

No.  It wasn’t an emergency, and I’m assuming that it was succinylcholine. I guess they could have used a different depolarizing agent.  An ENT that did not do the surgery but is in the same clinic as the one who did goes to church with me and mentioned that my soreness is from succinylcholine.  

Hope you feel better.  If Succinylcholine was used, your muscle pains could have been reduced by priming your induction with a low dose of a non-depolarizer.  

I hope you feel better.  

25 minutes ago, KB21 said:

Let me add that succinylcholine sucks.  It’s a depolarizing agent used to paralyze you during surgery, and I feel like I can barely move two days post op.  

You will have myalgia for about a week.  

I don't mean to pry, but why was succinylcholine used?  Was this emergency surgery?

1 hour ago, REHawksFan said:

I can only speak for me personally, but I don't criticize Alice for his choice to leave (I actually thank him for it as $136M plus losing Paul was WAY too much for what Alice give you, imo) but I do criticize him for his attitude about leaving.  The leaving in a snit, allowing your family to criticize the Hawks and imply that you are being "disrespected" by the Hawks when they offered you a contract that would have paid you as one of the top 10 players in the league when you aren't even a top 25 player in the league is flat out ridiculous.  The arrogance of it all is just astounding to me.  It's that smug attitude that irks me and that's the origin of my criticism.  Has nothing to do with him actually leaving or the amount of money he received. 

OK, I respect your view.  

I agree that the front office made the right decision.  I criticize them only for their inability to work a SnT to get something from his departure.  

Al's family means little to me.  What they say or do.....even less.  

Al made the best decision for him and his family.  I see no reason to crush the man for his choice.  

The Twitter response from his family is a sign of the times.  Apparently, everyone has to publicize their feelings.  

Does i

1 minute ago, theheroatl said:

Seems kinda weak to me compared to other big names that left their home teams.

Does is really matter?  Al is gone.  He made the best decision for him and his family. 

Clearly, the front office did not want him as much at the Celtics.  The fact of the matter is that the Hawks had a greater need for a true Center and Al needed to move to PF.    

The only sour point is that the Hawks got absolutely nothing for his departure.  A SnT should have been negotiated.  I put that on Wilcox.  

The real tragedy of the Horford departure is not that he is gone, but that the Front Office was unable to work a SnT deal to get something out of this.  

I can't help but feel that Danny Ferry would not have missed this opportunity.  

I think that Dwight will fit into Bud's system very well.  Remember that Bud was raised on Tim Duncan in the paint.  

DH will provide much-needed rebounding on both sides of the court.  The offense will benefit by spreading more and creating shots from the arch, as well as providing opportunities to score at the basket.  Dwight will also provide a nice shield for Schröder to come to the rim.  Remember Schröder's last comment before leaving for Germany:   I want to develop a better game at the rim.  

Dwight fits into this scheme very well.  His 3-year contract provides Tavares with the needed time to develop a NBA body and eventually take over when Dwight leaves.  

This signing makes sense.  Now, let's see what Bud/Wilcox can get for either Sap or Al.  

The Hawks have a logjam at PF.  They need to play this smart.  They need to see what they can get from a sign-and-trade for Al.  They will compare that value to the what Milsap can bring in return.  

Which ever deal makes the most sense will happen.  Expect either Milsap or Horford to play for another team next season.  

The Hawks have improved their worst statistic from the past few seasons:  rebounding.

They have two talented and expensive players at the PF position:  Horford and Milsap.

They have a developing talent at the SG position that can turn into an all-star:  Bazemore.

They have a young kid ready to take over at PG:  Schröder.

They need two things:  A 3-and-D at the SF position and depth all around (especially at PG).

It seems to me that we have to trade Milsap or swing a Sign-and-trade for Horford.  The way it looks now, Milsap has the greater trade value.   That is my conjecture only.   

If you take that into consideration, along with Milsap's likely contract demands beyond next season, it is apparent that Paul Milsap will be moved.  The only question is which deal would be best for the Hawks?   

Marvin Williams anyone?

It's too bad that Atlanta has gotten the reputation that it deserves.  

The Hawks are in a rare and enviable position to build a championship team.  The addition of Durant could start a sequence of roster moves that would build a real championship contender.  

Too bad.

12 hours ago, LastDon said:

Sign Horford and Dwight move Sap to the 3..If we bottom out in the first half of the season pawn one of the 3 to highest bidder at the allstar break.. Reshape the team and get a high lottery pick..team like the Bulls and Celtics do this all the time.. We gotta start making more of splash as an organization.. Bad press can even be good if the Dwight Howard expirement fail at least the team will garner a ton of media attention..

As much as I am wary of Dwight, I have to admit that your plan makes sense.  If the experiment does not pan out, trade your only real traceable asset for a true SF.  

I really don't blame Al.  My guess is that he really wants to play PF.  He probably wants us to add a true Center and perhaps another wing.  

Let's be honest, Al holds most of the chips at the bargaining table.  Why would anyone be surprised that he has put conditions on his re-enlistment?

What Al should do is recruit quality players to his hometown.  What he will do is any body's guess.

2 hours ago, Diesel said:

I think that when it comes down to all this is the problem:

 

1.  Al is great and has been great but we all see the decline. 

His followers would say... well, it's the market and this year the market is thrown off kilter and there will be a whole lot of unworthy guys making big money.   They would also say that Al has done so much for the Hawks and he still does a lot of things well.   The problem is not what the market dictates, it's what we know will be coming back. Overnight, Al has gone from an Undersized C who put up elite numbers to an old stretch 4 who put up mediocre numbers.   The old Al is not walking back through that door.  I think there's a bit of contentment that Al has fallen into and he is fallen into acceptance of the decline that he's going through.

So for us who don't want to see us max out this guy for the next 5 years, it's not that we don't like Al.  It's not that we don't think other teams will come calling.   It's that we see the decline  and have rated him a non max player.    We have a knowledge that prolly 2 years down the road, Al won't be putting up good numbers at all but we will be paying him Lebron like Money to do it.   That means more of the 9/1/1 Nights.    But now, he will be making 25 Million dollars to do it.  And after those 2 years, we will still have 3 more years left with him. 

2.  Al was great as a C but he makes a mediocre PF. 

You say well, we can move him to the 4 after Sap is gone.   Al as a 4 is not better than Ryan Anderson.   Al's strength was being faster than most of the 5 and being able to guard most positions.   Well, Al is losing a step.  At the 4, Al will be matched up with 3s and be asked to guard them.  Wiggins is going to blow right past him.    There will be no more Paul Pierce.. There will be  Terrance Ross..  Even guys like Paul George are moving to the 4 spot.   That means that the 3 spot will have some fast little dude who will leave AL in their wake.

 

That's the problem.  It's not all money.. It's really about what kind of return will we get for Paying Al all this money.

Not enough.

 

Sure, I can see your point.  I don't agree with it, because I think that Al would have a longer career at PF and perform better at that position.  

Consider this:  what if Kevin Durant wants to play along side Al?  What if keeping Al also means having the inside track to signing KD?  How would you feel about paying Al the max under those circumstances?

27 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

Funny how perceptions change on a dime.  A week ago, it was Teague for Noel and a couple of back-ups.  Than, it was:  Noel is too good to trade.  Now, Noel is worth a late lottery pick.  

Would anyone be surprised to hear that Noel was caught with a bail of weed and is now available for Tiago Splitter?  

It's just best to wait this process out.  We have no idea what the Hawks will look like until free agency is done.  Hey, at least I get the feeling the FO is trying to make things happen.  

Will Paul Milsap and Al Horford be enough to attract Kevin Durant?  If not Durant, then Batum?    

I suspect not, but maybe that is the plan.  I don't feel like we got equal value for Teague, but I respect the attempt to improve.   

Unfortunately, cap rules make Al more likely to be kept.   It looks like the Hawks want to move a Al to the PF position.  To do that, they will need to move Milsap's attractive contract, in order to acquire a Center that can defend and rebound.  

I am expecting to see a very different team on the court next season.  Ironically, such a turnover in roster goes against Bud's philosophy.  

Saw the whole interview. I saw no indication that Josh is unhappy with the Hawks. He complimented his new GM and mentioned that the team is headed in a positive direction. He conducted a mature and insightful interview. He was articulate and cordial. Everything about the interview points to Josh assuming a leadership role on the Hawks.

I may have an old fashioned view of basketball strategy, but I think that Josh Smith is a power forward. His strongest skills are rebounding and blocking shots, on defense and posting up on offense. To me, a power forward acts as an ally to the Center on defense and a scoring presence close to the basket. Josh Smith does not dribble with agility nor does he shoot well enough to be considered a major threat from the wing. On the other hand, he is much, much quicker than most PF's and is tough enough to handle even the biggest guys matched against him. Josh is a budding star at PF. If only he had an equal talent at Center. To answer your question: I think that the Hawks are better off with Horford at Center and J Smith at PF. If we are lucky enough to work a trade for Dwigth Howard, I think that Horford will play Center for his new team and Josh will play PF for us.

The Nets cannot get anywhere near far enough under the cap just by trading Lopez even if they don't take anything back. They have $50 million committed to Deron, JJ and Wallace alone and then you have cap holds, Humphries, Brooks, other players on the roster. The only chance they have would be if Houston agreed to a SnT of Howard to the Nets but I highly doubt Houston would take on more bad contracts to move Dwight. FYI the salary cap is at $58 last year and next year and will likely be in that neighborhood in 2013-2014 as well so the Nets will be way over the salary cap and they'd need to be at least $15 million or so under it to even have a shot at signing Dwight. Bottom line is that he's not going to the Nets no matter how bad he wants it.